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Team Gaman: The Assessment
The sandstorms this morning were milder than usual for this time of year, though, by anyone else’s standards, sandstorms were never mild. Gaman sat among the desert dunes calmly, bending the sands around his body, and leaving a clear path behind him. His students had to get to the location somehow, and though he eventually expected them to be able to navigate in such weather, he currently needed them at their fullest potential. The path stretched for nearly a mile, a singular linear line with walls of sand hailing and flailing around them, almost like a prophetic sea being split in half. Gaman’s arms were folded across one another, requiring not even the motion of his hands to maintain his pathway. “Really, it’s not bad at all I don’t think,” Gaman begun speaking, seemingly to himself as there were no other people currently around. He paused for a moment as if he was listening to a voice, and then he spoke yet again: “Seriously? I mean, I’m not even using my hands to maintain this one. That’s how not bad at is.” For as long as anyone could remember, Gaman always spoke to himself. Many of the villagers had just thought he was truly crazy, but Gaara, and the elders knew for other reasons why he was in constant thought and conversation. dwelled deep within him, and Shukaku never, as every one of his Jinchuriki could testify at one point, shut up. “Look, if I think they are in any real danger, I’ll just stop the entire sandstorm, how does that sound?” “And I’ll admit that you were right. But if they don’t get in any real danger then you have to….um, I dunno actually. You can’t really offer me much, I don’t think,” Gaman thought deeply. “Oh, I know! You have to promise to stay out of my dreams, at least for just a week. You always interrupt the best pa-,” Gaman stopped, interrupting himself. His smile widened, and grew more sly and confident. “It seems that they are approaching. Prepare yourself.” ---- So, this is how we're starting. The sandstorm caused trouble for the young boy navigating through it, but his will did not waver. He walked with strength of power and didn't complain. He would smile at Gaman's tricks, but if he did so, the sand would stick to his teeth. He eventually discovered a path, untouched by the sandstorm, and traversed it. At that point, he knew he was on the right track. He wondered how far his other teammates were, but he kept ahead, knowing they were fully capable of getting there. ---- Yoru had gone to sleep early the previous night in anticipation of waking up early to arrive on time. He didn't want to run late for Master Gaman's test, of course. The young Uchiha's eyes fluttered upon at the sound of his alarm, which he lazily reached over and shut off. Yawning and stretching, he sat up in bed. Oi, it's here, huh? The test... I wonder how the other two are feeling... Confidence surged within him. He was going to pass, he was determined to. Sliding out of bed, the boy went about getting ready for the day before quietly exiting his house, careful not to wake his siblings. The village's entrance had disappeared from his range of vision a while ago. As he walked, he felt the wind picking up around him, until he was embraced by a full-blown sandstorm. Lovely. Gritting his teeth, Yoru wished he'd awakened his Sharingan already. It would've been useful in these conditions. Squinting, he was able to spot a stretch of desert that was seemingly untouched; at least, he assumed, since it was radiant, illuminated brightly by the sun. There was no sand obscuring the sun's bright light. He immediately broke towards it, hoping that at the least, he could get his bearings. Yoru was pleased to discover that it was actually a long path, and he began to travel it. Eventually, two figures came into view up ahead, and he picked up his pace until he could make out who they were: Master Gaman and Takehiko. No Odokemono yet, but Yoru didn't peg Odokemono for the tardy sort. He was sure his other teammate would arrive promptly. "Yo," he greeted cheerfully, waving as he approached the pair. ---- Odokemono, apparently, but unsurprisingly was the last to arrive. He intentionally sacrificed a small bit of punctuation to finish up his last adjustments to his puppet. He was wearing a cloak and visor to protect his glasses from the sandstorm. The bandaged rapped object was strapped to his back. He panted a bit. Odokemono was not the most physically fit shinobi, that was for sure. Despite the storm, he could see his fellow team mates. He stopped and greeted them. "Good thing I'm not late." He chuckled awkwardly a bit, slightly embarrassed by his lateness. ---- Gaman extended his arms dramatically, as if some jester or ringleader introducing the beginning act to a show. “Welcome to your first mission as members of Team Gaman. I congratulate you all on making it this far. Through determination, talent, and ingenuity, you all have not only passed the Academy, but had been named consecutive tops of your class. I’m truly impressed, and I’m fortunate to have the honor of testing your limits,” Gaman continued, putting his arms down. “But now, I’m going to decide whether your positions are well earned, whether you gentlemen are worthy of not only being genin, but of being our pupils. This test has the potential to kill you; let that be known, and thus, I will ask of all your resolve. Are you willing to risk your life for further growth? I’m going to come at the three of you with the intention to kill you; You’ll have to survive my onslaught for three hours, or, you’ll have to best me in combat. I’ll be wearing these bracelets,” Gaman admitted, rolling up his arm and pants sleeves to demonstrate the metal rings upon his limbs. “They weigh a considerable amount, and so they’ll make me slower and force me to use more stamina. But, besides that, that is the only handicap you’ll have the benefit of receiving.” He paused. “Those are options bestowed upon you. I’ll give you a few moments to decide.” ---- Takehiko stepped forward, his cloak blowing in the fierce winds of the sandstorm. His expression was finally visible: a small smile and a mischievous look in his eye. He turned towards his teammates. "Yoru. Odokemono. I feel that it's best if we try to defeat him. None of us have enough chakra to fend him off for three hours, except for Gaman-sensei. We have a greater advantage. Are the two of you in agreement?" he asked. His eyes wandered from Yoru to Odokemono to find the slightest bit of an answer. ---- In an effort to be friendly, he grinned broadly and waved at Odokemono as he arrived. His attention was stolen, however, by their ever dramatic sensei. Yoru had to admit, though...he could appreciate Gaman's eccentric personality. Listening intently as Gaman described the parameters of their test, his smile faded and was replaced with something far more fiery and intense: determination. This was an outright challenge, one that he could freely admit would push him to the fullest extent of his abilities. Despite his cheery personality and friendly nature, he had his pride, and the idea of fully entrusting himself to teammates was a hard one for even him to accept...but accepting it was unavoidable. Perhaps that was the whole point, issuing an exam so strenuous that it was impossible for any of the three boys to pass on his own strength alone. He would just have to trust Takehiko and Odokemono, and hope that they would trust him. "You're right," he replied, meeting Takehiko's eyes. "Even slowing himself down and making himself easier to tire, Master Gaman is clearly far too powerful for us to outlast him. We only have a chance if we combine our strengths and go at him with our full aggression." The Uchiha was fully prepared to do so. Failure wasn't an option, not just for his own sake, but also for the sake of the other two. He may have only just met them, but he'd be damned if he was the reason either of them couldn't take another step towards their respective dreams. ---- Odokemono wasn't surprised that the assignment could end up being someone's demise. He would expect nothing less for the best of the best in their class. He waved his arms about, chakra strings excreting from his fingers, and attaching to the bandaged object attached to his back. It flew off his body and ripped the bandages off, showing a puppet that resembled a clown. He leaned in to Yoru and Takehiko. "Listen. I have a plan. We have to play this conservatively. Minimum offense, maximum defense to conserve chakra. Focus on evasion, and make sure every attack you use hits. Stay on your toes. This should be a long fight." Odokemono jumped backward, increasing the distance between him and his puppet. With his weapon it should be easier done for him, but he is confident that they know how to apply the strategy to their own skill sets. ---- Gaman nodded. “Indeed, then we shall immediately begin.” He snapped his fingers, allowing the trail of heaven that he created, the eye that he crafted in the midst of the sandstorm to dissipate, bringing forth and manifesting the full fury of the sandstorm as it suddenly fell upon them. Gaman, almost simultaneously, faded into the sands, as if he became a part of the very desert itself. What replaced him was not an image of himself, but several coyotes composed of sand, each standing at least ten feet tall, towering over the shorter genin. They snarled, drooling pools of sand from their fangs; though sandy, It was obvious that the sand they were composed of was harder than any metal they had encountered. The five of them spread outwards, looking to circle the group and pounce, together, as a group. ---- Takehiko was prepared to fight now, although he made sure not to doubt the power of his sensei. He knew all too well about the hidden power that Gaman possessed, but there were still things unknown to him. He made some distance between him and the wolves by jumping backwards, following the same pattern that his teammate did as well. Swiftly, he began to perform a variety of handseals before stopping. It was a skill that he called "holding": molding the chakra within him in patterns while not yet performing the technique, giving him the opportunity to strike at exactly the right moment. His concentration almost replicated a jōnin's. "Odokemono, Yoru. Ready when you are." he stated confidently, excitement stirring in his veins. ----- Yoru eyed the circling sand coyotes, noting that they appeared ready to strike at any moment. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath. Master Gaman was nowhere to be found, annoyingly enough, complicating things. Would their new Jōnin leader appear out of the blue to attack while they were busy dealing with the coyotes? Or was he at least going to let them handle that threat first? He wasn't sure, but he resolved to pay careful attention. "Oi, Takehiko," he uttered, drawing closer to his teammates. "How much pressure do you think you can generate with your Wind ninjutsu?" ---- Odokemono jumped back as far as he could, while his puppet stayed in his place. To test the sand that the giant Coyotes were made of, he used Jester to move quickly underneath the one, and use its saw to cut its underbelly. Afterwards, he pulled his puppet to him to take a close look at the saw. The teeth were either severely dulled or broken off. He heard Yoru speak of high pressured wind ninjutsu. "If either of you have wind ninjutsu, combine it with the flames for Jester's flamethrower. The sand is strong, but maybe with the increased heat from the Window it would be strong enough to turn the sand into glass."